Letters: Thank you to great Huxlow teachers

Laura Smith has written of her fond memories of Huxlow Science College

Published:12:00Saturday 27 September 2014

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I would like to take the time to say a big thank-you to all of my teachers who taught me at Huxlow Science College.

I really do miss school and I guess I took it for granted when I was there and when I left... that’s it.

It hits you as hard as a brick and I miss it like mad.

However, I’d like to say a huge thank-you to Miss Lewis, our lovely head of year for the past year, who has helped us through the hard times and all of the teachers who taught me at Huxlow who helped me get through every lesson.

One teacher I particularly will miss is Mrs Catling – her kind nature meant a lot. She taught me English for two years and made the lessons so fun and entertaining.

If you are reading this, I’d just like to say all the best for the future years and I hope this makes you smile!

So on behalf of myself and perhaps on behalf of most of my year as well, thank you Huxlow Science College for being such a brilliant school.

I will miss you all.

Many memories have been left behind in the walls of Huxlow, but most will remain with me forever.

Thankyou for the years. 2009 to 2014.

LAURA SMITH

Finedon

We need to define our shared power

So the Scottish referendum was a victory for democracy.

And on Friday the police had to keep Yes and No supporters apart in Glasgow.

Of course Glasgow voted Yes and its antipode Edinburgh voted No.

Emotions run high.

The Scottish referendum was a victory for further devolution as well – not only for Scotland but for all of the UK.

But the question of devolution has two parts – what to devolve, and how far to devolve.

Already there is an open feeling that Scotland has preferential treatment in what devolved powers were promised to her.

And the Glasgow clash shows that the devolution itself should have limits – nobody is arguing that “the majority” of Glasgow wanted independence and therefore Glasgow should go it alone. Fortunately.

History is full of examples of splinter groups, too small on their own, declaring their “independence”.

I agree with democracy and I agree with devolution.

But it cannot be a runaway train dividing the whole into the smallest possible constituent parts.

Mathematically you would end up with two people either staying together or parting company.

There is something missing in the debate in my view; the third D of development.

However the UK apportions the future devolved power, in whatever units will the country be democratically divided we must create vibrant, confident and viable units – enabling not only collaborating with each other but also competing with each other. Democracy, devolution and development.

Perhaps rather than arguing about what power Scotland should get –and Wales, various English regions and Northern Ireland –we should define what exactly will the powers be all of us agree to share.

J G SMID

Corby Liberal Democrat Party chairman and regional party executive member

Politicians will not honour vow

Finally the answer is “No” and we remain the United Kingdom, in the political sense, of course.

The reality is that David Cameron and Gordon Brown, who still thinks he is the Prime Minister, and the pathetic Clegg promised Scotland the earth to secure unity between the two countries.

If Scotland is treated the same way the rest of the UK is treated after an election of wild promises, then it will never see the promises made by Cameron come to fruition.

The three parties will between them connive and drag things out until the end of time.

Scotland has just been duped and will now see what trusting in the political system in London is really like.

Nigel Farage went along reluctantly for the ride and advised his followers to say No. Just imagine the outcome if UKIP had not agreed.

TOM BINGHAM

Corby

NHS staff were so good to our Brian

In view of the constant complaints one hears about the NHS, I would like to state this.

Last month my husband Brian fell, broke his hip and was taken by ambulance, which arrived swiftly, to Kettering General Hospital, where he stayed for nearly three weeks before he died.

Brian, who was 80 years old and already weakened by Alzheimer’s Disease, was promptly treated with care and dignity by all the NHS staff involved.

My family and I wish to say how much we appreciate their attention, kindness and consideration towards Brian, and to us at this sad time.

SHEILA MARLOW

Earls Barton

Great kindness of a total stranger

Thank you to the stranger I met at the Stamford Car Show on August 25.

At one of the stalls I was admiring an oak bowl. Standing next to me, a stranger asked: “What would you buy?”

I told him, and out of the blue he bought the bowl for me.

He would not tell me his name but said his mother’s name was Sheila McKinnis, who is living in a care home in the Kettering area.

So thank Mrs McKinnis. Your son made my day.

RUTH CLIPSHAM

By email

Answering the UKIP critics

Tony Banks (Your View, September 18) misses the point entirely on the EU’s proposed rules on kettles. As I said in my original letter, it takes at least as much energy to boil a low-power kettle as a high-power one – and arguably more, for reasons which I clearly set out.

So the EU proposal fails to make sense even in its own terms. Making kettles lower-power does not make them more efficient – it makes them less efficient.

Mr Banks says “our environment is Europe, not this little island”.

Sorry to disagree again, but our environment is the whole world, and despite Mr Banks’ obsessive belief in “climate change”, there has been no global warming now for 18 years.

No schoolchild today has ever experienced global warming in their life-time. And many scientists, especially astronomers, are suggesting that the world may now start to cool, as a result of changes in solar activity.

Philip Evans, in the same edition, presents an astonishingly prejudiced and bigoted view of UKIP, while demonstrating a vast ignorance of history.

The peace in my lifetime has been kept not by Brussels or the European Commission, but by NATO and the Transatlantic Alliance, by nuclear deterrence, by mutually assured destruction, by 100,000 American GIs in Germany.

The Berlin Wall was not brought down by the EU, but by the courage, determination and commitment of leaders like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, and indeed Pope John Paul.

In fact the EU is undermining our security, by seeking to create military structures that bypass NATO.

It was the EU’s deliberate and hubristic meddling in Ukraine that brought about the current crisis with Russia, which may get worse before it gets better.

Mr Evans’ characterisation of UKIP as “paranoid and xenophobic” is so divorced from reality as to be almost funny.

Far from the Scottish Independence campaign reflecting UKIP attitudes, in fact UKIP, and our Scottish MEP David Coburn, campaigned passionately for the Union.

The clue is in the name, Mr Evans.

We’re the United Kingdom Independence Party.

ROGER HELMER

UKIP MEP for Northamptonshire

Have you got any spare bugles?

The Waterloo Drummers and Performing Arts organisation has recently added a bugle section – the Somme Buglers – and seeks donations of any unwanted bugles.

We are also looking for trained buglers as well as anyone wishing to learn.

Membership is open to young people eight to 18 years old, as well as adults who already play a musical instrument.

We rehearse in Irthlingborough and Rushden from 6pm to 8pm on Monday and Wednesday evenings and have drumming and bell-lyres sections too, as well as a colour guard – which is dance combined with flags.

The Corps appears regularly at local events and took part in Raunds Carnival on Saturday, September 13. We lead the annual Irthlingborough remembrance parade and also put on an annual Christmas show.

We are a voluntary group and raise all our own funds and are in the course of registering as a charity.

New members are always welcome, both young people and adults, and further information is available from 01933 412099 or send an email to waterlooperformingarts@gmail.com.

You will meet new friends, learn new skills and have lots of fun.

JOHN R MANDER

Bandmaster Waterloo Drummers and Performing Arts

Empty seats at housing briefing

Oh where are the Team Corby Conservatives?

Again their seats were empty yesterday at a very important briefing looking at the long- term housing plan for our tenants. I say “again” because this “team” very rarely attends briefings, seminars or councillor training.

How can they represent the best interests of their constituents if they do not have all the background information?